Bacterial community in rainwater storage tanks

This study aims to explain the effect of the color of plastic rainwater storage tank on microbiological water quality and biofilm formation. Five painted storage tanks (white, red, yellow, blue, and black) filled with rainwater were illuminated by a blue compact fluorescent lamp for 12h every day for six weeks. The bacterial community analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed that the stored rainwater was not harmful to human health, Moreover, red and blue light have been found to induce a reduction to the diversity of the bacterial community.

本研究旨在阐释塑料储雨水罐的颜色对微生物水质及生物膜形成的影响。我们将5个分别涂装为白色、红色、黄色、蓝色及黑色的储雨水罐注满雨水，每日以紧凑型蓝色荧光灯照射12小时，持续六周。基于16S rRNA基因（16S rRNA gene）测序的细菌群落分析结果显示，储存的雨水未对人体健康造成危害；此外，研究发现红光与蓝光可降低细菌群落的多样性。